I am a 44 year old male who underwent a total thyroidectomy 6 weeks ago due to an multi nodular goiter and an enlarged left side of thyroid gland. According to the surgeon's nurse, the parathyroids were reportedly left in following surgery.

My hormone levels/blood chemistry are significantly off. We live in a small town and have difficulty with follow up from local doctors(the surgery was performed 5 hours away in a teaching hospital in Seattle.)

My (daily) symptoms include numbness/tingling/burning in my hands, feet, fingers, extremities and sometimes my cheek (but never all at once.) My lips also feel "funny." I also experience Fatigue and I have frequent pain in my kidney area (lower back) that can be stabbing and brief or a chronic ache. I am also experiencing sever anxiety. My Calcium levels thus far have been around 8.8

Question: I am aware that alot of the above symptoms may indicate a Calcium problem which can be serious. Can you tell me how long parathyroids may be in shock after surgery before coming back? They started giving me Tums right after surgery but always said my Calcium levels were "ok." I am afraid this may turn into an unmanageable situation because we live in a small western town without adequate healthcare nearby.

Hi,Transient post thyroidectomy hypocalcemia may take several weeks to several months to revert back to normalcy.Your calcium level is slightly on the lower side.Hypocalcaemia can be graded into five grades; Grade I - Nospontaneous hypocalcemia, Grade II - Occasional hypocalcemia, Grade III - Serum Ca < 8.5mg %, Grade IV - Serum Ca < 7.5mg% and Grade V- Serum Ca< 6.5mg% .Your's may be at worst Grade II - Occasional hypocalcemia.I suggest that you should continue your prescribed medications and hopefully your parathyroid function would recover in the near future.Please be aware of inhibitors of calcium absorbtion.You can easily download this information on the net.Good luck!